Trouble Getting My 15 Month Old to Eat

Well, he is making a 'game' of feeding the dog.

Its a GAME, with the DOG.
I therefore think, that eating has become another kind of activity for him... its not the food, it's the dog & him kind of thing now.

So, feed him elsewhere, without the dog.
Or, if he splats food on the ground, have him help you clean it up. Not in a stern way... but just so he understands, per his age... that food does not belong on the ground.

ALSO though, at this age, they do this... they are getting more independent. It will pass.

Or, when he does that... then just keep calm, take the food away... and stop. Let him sit in the high-chair (if that is where he eats), and then open a magazine and make like you are reading it. Then, after a minute ask nicely "are you ready to eat? Yum!" Then try again. Without the dog. AND, use a plastic floor cover/mat for the kitchen floor for easy clean up. If he splats food on the ground again... say "Wow, its so great I have a mat for the floor so I can clean it up so well, come and help Mommy..."

Or you just take him out of the high-chair... and feed him again later. Maybe he is just not hungry either. This also happens. Some kids won't eat just because the clock says so... they only eat when they are hungry.

Lots of food/eating phases will come up... at different ages.

All the best,
Susan

Put the dog in another room while he eats.

K. I can tell you that I went through the same thing with my boys. They are 17 months now and still to a small degree do it. If they arent interested in a certain food they drop it on the floor. In regards to the dog...I would put the dog out of the room at meal times. We have friends that have dogs and the babies will throw their food to feed the dog because its fun instead of eating their own food. Its much more interesting to watch the dog eat. My one boy I rarely have a hard time with him eating, but my other son is a picky eater. Make sure you watch the liquids before meal times. I normally take away their cups about an hour to an hour and a half before dinner and lunch. Otherwise he will drink a full sippy cup of whatever and refuse his food. Also...if you are going to feed your son a few different items start with the most important one first. For example...If Im going to serve chicken, green beans, cup of fruit and some crackers. I will give him the chicken first for a couple minutes then add the green beans and wait a couple minutes and then give him the fruit and the crackers. This is because he will fill up on the fruit and not eat anything else because its not as appetizing as the rest of the food. Its really a lot of experimenting to see why he isn't eating his food and then making adjustments from there. And remember...he may just be going through a phase where hes just not that hungry. Normal healthy children will NOT stave themselves...and will eat eventually. All you can do is offer the correct choices...the rest is up to them.

Hi K., if I remember correctly, I believe I was not feeding my daughter anything. Everything she ate, she feed herself. Including yogurt, apple sauce, and everything else. Maybe if you try putting whatever food he eats in front of him and tell him that that is all he is going to get, then maybe he will eventually eat whats on his plate instead of feeding the dog. (yes, I agree to put the dog in another room while he eats) If he starts to understand that he will get no other food until it is snack time later, he should learn real fast!! But, you can't give in and give him food before snack time (make it a nutritious one)
You can fix this problem, you just have to be consistant.
Good luck!

what i do with my daughter is give her a variety. at 15 months he can eat basically anything. does he spoon/fork feed himself? if not maybe let him try. this also may be a good time to introduce a new food. ill give you a couple examples of what my 2 year old daughter eats for breakfast lunch and dinner.
breakfast- typically a childs yoplait yogurt, applesauce cup and fruit cup or freash fruit. sometimes cereal, waffels/pancakes or eggs bacon and sausage.
lunch/dinner- chicken nuggets (white meat), fish sticks, 1/2 a pb and j(lunch only), 1/2 a grilled cheese, quesadilla, baked chicken breast strips, pizza slice. sides with lunch any of these will do- cheeze its, salt free pretzels, string cheese, a few animal crackers, raisens. with lunch and dinner i always serve a veggie. also after dinner i give her a dessert usually a popcicle, fruit freezer cups (which is real fruit and awesomely yummy!), or a little bit of ice cream.
also i limit liquids my daughter gets a 5oz cup of milk or low salt v8 (she drinks her juice after breakfast because she gets a milk cup when she wakes). when her drink is gone she gets no more to drink. this way she doesnt fill up on her drink.
we also have dogs and when my daughter would drop her food to them i would tell her once that we dont waste our food. then if she did it again i would tell her again and say if she did it again i would take her food and she would be done. it took her about a week to stop feeding the dogs. then she started to fling her food when she didnt want to eat and after 3 days of going to bed hungry after her food got tossed (yes i made her throw her own food away). this i know does sound extreme but it worked for her. now all i have to say is do you want me to throw your food in the trash and she gets upset that i may take it and she eats.
i hope this helps (sorry i ramble on lol)

This sounds totally normal of a 15 month old, he is right on track with development and that is that independent personality. They also get bored with the same foods that they loved. Just try some new foods. Also, try to include him in preparing the meal, put a little basket or drawer for him with his own bowl and spoon and show him to get it himself. At this age, they really want choices and to be in control more than anything. It really helped to put a little toddler table and chairs in the kitchen and have my daughter help open the oatmeal packages and pour her own milk in the oatmeal, etc. She just wanted to feel good about herself. Giving her lots of praise and telling her what a good helper she was and then whispering to my husband out loud saying that she helped with the food really gave her that boost she needed and eating better just fell into place after that. I hope this helps.
E.

Welcome to toddlers asserting their independence! My advice is to serve small portion so IF he keeps throwing food, you don't always feel like you're cleaning up. I really believe it's a phase that will pass.-www.weelicious.com

Yes yes! My son does it all the time. Foods that he loved last night aren't necessarily going to work tonight.. tomorrow.. next week. Feeding time is always a guessing game for me and most of it does end up on the floor. Sucks, but it is what it is! Just be patient and I have actually started having my son get down from his high chair and pick up the food and put it in the trash. He has been doing it less, but he still does it. Also, my son is super active and prefers to eat while running around. yes, I know it's a choking hazard, but at least I know he's getting some food in him. I'll worry about breaking this habit later in life. Good luck! :)

Be creative is my first tip..like fly food in on a spoon..make eating fun..i always used to sit on the couch w/ a plate of food for myself and my son would be curious and come and want some..yeah not the best way to get them to eat but i now have a child that will try almost anything..
also sauces are good on things..they like to dip..ranch..ketchup..cream of mushroom soup on veggies..cheese over veggies..
at that age my son liked quesadillas a lot ..easy to make..corn tortilla w/ shredded mexican cheese 45 seconds in the microwave.
linguini pasta w/ white clam sauce..u slurp the noodle up in front of them..and they think it's fun
i remember my son throwing food at that age..so frustrating..don't let him snack..if he's snacking too much then he won't eat his real food..my son is always ready for dinner b/c i don't give him filling snacks a lot..
also fruit rolls are good..
oh at that age he liked chicken noodle soup a lot...used to get it at Wholefoods..

good luck..just get creative..play w/ the food w/ him and eat it..and try the couch thing..sit there as if u only made food for u and oh man how u love it and don't really want to part w/ it but u will for him..get what i mean?

My son is the same age, doing the same thing with the dog or just clearing the table by swiping his arms across it and throwing the food everywhere.. :)
I try everything but I think what works best is putting a plate with a variety of food on his little chair and let him eat while he plays. It's a guessing game and I can't keep him in his high chair - he knows how to get out - and I can't calmly ask him to do anything after the 10th time I turn around to see him standing up in his high chair. ;)
Also, I just figure teeth are a constant factor right now so I try to feed him things that are cold. He prefers it. He even ate frozen tater tots tonight. Frozen veggies are great, frozen grapes, frozen yogurt squeezers, cold melon... I think he would live on those things alone.
Good luck!! I think it goes in phases so hopefully this one is over soon...

K. O

My children (now 30, 34, and 25 years old) would do this and throw their food when they were not hungry. When this happened, I would take them out of the highchair and that was the end of meal time. They were allowed two snacks a day between meals. Once they figured out that their meal time was over they quit throwing, taking food out of their mouth, or spitting it out they quit all of the above actions until they were finished eating. LOL Pets can always be a good thing though when cleaning up after small children. This behavior will stop when you don't allow the children to continue this behavior. I believe it is just their way of saying they are not really hungry. Your son will eat when he is ready, just stick to your meal time schedules, and he will eat his snack. I hope this helps I also hope it makes sense.

Thanks gals for some good advice. I wish we had a dog because I seem to spend a lot of time on my hands and knees with the dustpan and sponge!
My son (now 17 mos) spends three days a week at daycare when I am at work. They prepare all snacks and lunch, and to my surprise, relief, and annoyance I learned he not only eats everything, he often goes back for seconds and thirds, which he does not do at home.
So I am inclined to think his refusal of food at home has to do with pushing boundaries. It stresses me out, but the kid isn't starving by the look of him, so I am hoping it is a phase.